Oakland says January cargo volumes off by nearly a third

Northern California port blames decline on slowdowns resulting from ongoing contract dispute between ILWU and PMA.    The Port of Oakland in northern California said its containerized cargo volumes were down 32 percent across its terminals in January and blamed the decline on “slowdowns arising from a dispute between dockworkers and employers over a new contract.”
   The port authority reported today that containerized imports were down 39 percent from January 2014. Exports declined 26 percent.
   “With a decline in productivity and a breakdown in vessel schedules at all U.S. West Coast ports, cargo volumes are far from normal,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll, in a statement.
   The port said importers have begun diverting containerized cargo to gateways outside the U.S. West Coast. These include ports in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. East Coast. It added that exporters have been challenged in shipping cargo to overseas markets because of vessel delays and diversions.
   Xochitl Hinojosa, a press secretary at U.S. Department of Labor, said that Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez has meetings today in San Francisco with both the ILWU and PMA.
   “He’ll urge the parties to resolve their dispute quickly at the bargaining table,” said Hinojosa.
   Meanwhile large number of ships are waiting for berths at West Coast ports.
   The Marine Exchange of Southern California reports that 32 ships were at anchor outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Tuesday morning for congestion reasons, 1 less than yesterday, including 22 containerships.